Interface Design: An Embedded Process for Human Computer Interactivity

Abstract

This chapter will address the issues of interface design and incorporation of human behavior factors into the design process. The traditional process engineering approach to software development embeds interface design as a task component. However, the interface design process has grown as a discipline and is beyond the single process within a larger scheme that may be lost on the priority list. The functionality and specifications for software developers tend to focus on the project and less on the product. In addition, bridging the gap of the design process to include global elements of the software is an issue for products that are internationally distributed. It is something that the computer industry must address and has been historically unsuccessful at doing. Incorporating human interactivity and screen design requires an understanding of the user and their behavior that is not part of the traditional tasks of most designers and programmers. This chapter presents the importance of human interactivity and interface design as an embedded process.